The girl shouted, “Daddy’s snake is so big, it hurts so much!” and called 911. – The police went there and quickly found out the horrible reality…
On a quiet Wednesday evening in rural Ohio, Anna Meyers, the dispatcher, got a call from a child who was anxious. “Please help me,” the child said through her tears. “That snake my dad has is so big it hurts!” She sounded scared and hurt. Meyers sent a patrol team right away because she thought the pet scenario was risky. She was afraid that her father’s python had bitten her.
In a matter of minutes, officers David Ross and Michael Jensen were there. You could hear soft crying coming from the rear room, and the front door was ajar. They carefully moved around the messy living room and spotted indicators that it had been neglected. There were unwashed dishes, empty beer cans, and destroyed furniture. When they came to the hallway, the scene made them stop in their tracks.
Emily Carter, a tiny girl, was sitting in her dark bedroom with her small hands holding onto a worn-out blanket. She had a pallid face and aching knees. There was no sign of a snake. The man she called “Daddy,” 38-year-old Charles Carter, was intoxicated and lying on the couch, staring at the officers. The air smelled like wine and something worse: shame.
Officer Jensen asked Emily where the snake was in a nice way, and what she responded broke their hearts. She shivered and muttered, “That’s what he calls it, Daddy’s snake.” When they recognized it, they felt like a vehicle had hit them. The call wasn’t about an animal at all; it was a kid who needed help because they were being hurt.
In less than an hour, they put handcuffs on Charles and took him outside. Police started gathering evidence that showed years of unfathomable pain after paramedics transported Emily to the hospital. The simple call to 911 had revealed a catastrophe that no one could have predicted.
Lauren Evans, a pediatric nurse at St. Mary’s Hospital, held Emily’s hand while the physicians inspected her over. Every time someone touched her, she jumped. She had bruises all over her body that were different ages. It was evident that she had wounded herself before. Sarah Dalton, a detective from the Child Protection Unit, got there not long after. She had seen horrific things before, but Emily’s case really got to her, especially after she heard the 911 call.
When asked nicely, Emily told bits and pieces of her story. For example, her mother had left years ago, and her father “got angry after drinking” a lot. He would call her names, lock her in her room, and act like they were playing a “bad game” that no one else knew about. Emily looked down at the floor as she spoke, and every word was like a knife to those who were listening.
Detectives got a search warrant and went through the whole house. They found strange things in Charles Carter’s room, such concealed cameras, pornographic recordings, and a folder full of fake images. The forensics teams took sure to get everything so that nothing was left behind.
The county police were also asking Charles questions at the same time. At first, he denied everything, slurring his words and saying it was all a “misunderstanding.” But after he saw the proof and listened to Emily’s taped call, he went from being defiant to afraid. He continued saying, “She’s lying,” but his eyes showed that he was scared.
The District Attorney’s office promptly charged the person with a number of crimes, including aggravated sexual assault of a minor, possession of prohibited material, and putting a child in danger. The news of the arrest circulated quickly through the little town. People who used to wave to Charles as they walked by now looked at his boarded-up house with shock and horror.
In the weeks that followed, Emily was put with a foster home that helps kids who had gone through bad things get better. She had trouble falling asleep and experienced dreams. She would weep when she woke up in the middle of the night. Her new foster mother, Margaret Lewis, knelt down next to her and said quietly, “You’re safe now, sweetheart.” No one can hurt you right now.
Therapists worked with Emily a lot, utilizing art and play therapy to help her articulate things she couldn’t voice out loud yet. She started painting again, slowly at first. Most of the time, she painted pictures of flowers, the sun, and maybe a police badge. The officers who had saved her came to see her every so often to tell her that heroes might be real.
The trial of Charles Carter started three months later. In the heated courtroom, the prosecutors revealed proof that no one could argue with. The jury listened to Emily’s 911 call, saw the tapes, and heard from child psychiatrists who were specialists in the subject. Emily spoke softly but clearly when she was summoned to testify. “I told the truth because I didn’t want to be scared anymore,” she said.
Everyone agreed that the defendant was guilty of all the allegations after five hours of talking. Charles was given a life term in prison and could never get out. Emily’s foster mother cried and held her close as they whisked her away.
Later, Emily told a reporter that she wanted to be a cop “like the ones who saved me.” Her voice, which had been shaky because she was worried, became strong and steady all of a sudden. A brave little girl who spoke up made the 911 call that started with fear finish with justice and the chance for healing.